About VMware Academic Software Licensing Program

VMware Academic Software Licensing Program is a software licensing program for schools and colleges that teach and utilize virtualization technology. USC Viterbi School of Engineering is a participant in the VMware Academic Software Licensing Program. Through the program, eligible Viterbi students and faculty have access to VMware products at no cost, subject to the terms of the program. Qualified students and faculty may install applicable VMware software tools on their personal computers.

A partial list of available VMware software include:

  • VMware Fusion for Mac
  • VMware Fusion Pro for Mac
  • VMware Workstation Player
  • VMware Workstation Pro for Windows
  • VMware Workstation Pro for Linux

VMware works closely with D2L Brightspace to provide qualified users with the self-service capability to download software and license keys.

Fully functional VMware software licenses provided via this program are good only for 365 days though renewable if the users remain eligible to partake in the program. Qualified student, faculty and staff receiving licenses through a qualifying course may use the licenses after the course or project is concluded. Use of VMware software for instructional use is governed by specific program guidelines and the conditions described within the VMware End-User License Agreement (EULA).

Who are eligible?

  • Student taking at least one eligible for-credit Viterbi course in current semester
  • Viterbi faculty (inclusive of adjunct and part-time lecturers) teaching at least one eligible Viterbi course in the current semester
  • Staff directly involved in administering systems in labs and providing support for program software may install the software on their personal computers

In order to meet licensing requirements and not risk loss of access for all qualified users, access to D2L Brightspace web portal for anyone who no longer meets the criteria described above will be disabled at each semester switch.

Students and faculty receiving licenses through a qualifying course may use the licenses after the course is concluded until the software license expires.

What technical support is available?

Software is provided to qualified users with no associated entitlement to support services from VMware. Users may not purchase support services from VMware associated with software licenses obtained via the VMware Academic Software Licensing Program.

  • Viterbi IT does not provide technical support for VMware products obtained via the program.
  • Viterbi IT does not troubleshoot or support problems with software installations, errors while using the software, or development with the software.
  • Viterbi IT does not support problems with operating VMware software on personal computers.

Terms and Conditions for Use

The single-use licenses provided through the VMware Academic Software Licensing Program may be used for instructional only. You may not use the Program software for any for-profit software development.

Instructional Use – Viterbi faculty gains access to VMware software licenses for the purpose of:

  • Classroom instruction and activities
  • Program software can be installed in labs that support faculty and students learning

Students taking qualified courses can also install Program software on their personal computers.

  • The software provided by the VMware Academic Software Licensing Program may not be sold, rented, leased, or transferred to any third-party including contractors, consultants, other companies, and other department personnel
  • In order to install certain components of the VMware software product, you may need a VMware License Key (“License Key”). The License Key will be assigned solely to install or access the authorized software. You may not disclose the License Key information to anyone else
  • When you no longer meet the eligibility criteria above, your access to the D2L Brightspace portal will be disabled. However, you may continue to use previously installed products on your computer until the software license expires, provided you continue to follow program guidelines
  • If you violate the terms of the EULA and the Amendment to the EULA, or the terms and conditions, you may be required to remove the software from your personal computer and subject to further disciplinary action

Examples of Acceptable Use:

  • Program software installed in shared lab environments can be used across different courses offered by different faculty members
  • Faculty and staff directly involved in administering systems and providing support for program software may install the software on their personal computers
  • Students taking qualified courses can access program software within lab machines or download program software on their personal computers. Students receiving licenses through a qualifying course project may use the licenses after the course is concluded until the software license expires.

IMPORTANT: These guidelines are provided for your convenience only. Please refer to the VMware End User License Agreement (EULA) for specific license rights.

Please read the terms and conditions carefully and note when your downloaded software will expire. Save your product key in a safe location. Neither D2L Brightspace nor Viterbi IT will be able to retrieve your assigned license key if you lose it or if you are no longer eligible to login to D2L Brightspace portal.

Request an Account

To request an account, send a message to engrhelp@usc.edu using your @USC.EDU account, or submit a ticket using Viterbi Service Desk tool in myViterbi, https://myviterbi.usc.edu.

State what Viterbi course you are taking or teaching that calls for use of VMware software made available via the program.

It may take 1-3 business days to respond.  Please check your spam folder if you don't receive a response.

Register Your Account & Download Software

Once you have received your email to register your account, follow the steps below to download your software.

Published on November 16th, 2017

Last updated on October 24th, 2023